Table of Contents
- Researcher Qualification Standards
- Dedicated Facility Requirements
- Documentation Requirements
- Common Application Failures
- FAQ
1. Researcher Qualification Standards
Researchers must generally hold a bachelor's degree or higher in natural sciences, engineering or medicine, or a National Technical Qualification at engineer (기사) level or higher. At SMEs, an associate degree in those fields with 2+ years of R&D experience (1+ year for 3-year college graduates), an industrial engineer (산업기사) qualification with 2+ years of R&D experience, and certain other qualifications with 4+ years of R&D experience are also accepted. All researchers must be full-time employees of the company (not contractors).
2. Dedicated Facility Requirements
- Physically separate and dedicated research space (not shared with office)
- Clearly labeled with "Research Laboratory" signage
- Equipped with appropriate research tools and instruments
- Minimum space: enough floor area (after installing research equipment) for researchers and research assistants to work there on a regular basis; SMEs and venture companies that cannot secure more than 50㎡ may use a space separated by partitions
3. Documentation Requirements
- Research plan with specific objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes
- Researcher employment certificates and academic credentials
- Facility lease and floor plan
- Equipment inventory list
- Budget plan for R&D expenditures
4. Common Application Failures
- Research plan is too generic or copied from another company
- Researcher is listed but not actually employed full-time
- Facility is shared with general office space with no physical separation
- Equipment listed doesn't match the stated research activities
FAQ
Q. Can a foreign national researcher qualify?
A. Yes, as long as they are legally employed in Korea and meet the degree/experience requirements.
Q. What is the minimum number of researchers for a startup?
A. A small business (소기업) needs at least 3 full-time researchers for a corporate R&D center, or 2 during the first 3 years from its founding. A dedicated R&D department needs only 1.
Set Up a Qualified Corporate R&D Center
YouSun Administrative Agency prepares KOITA recognition application documents.
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